Sandra Green - Executive Cultura Ambassador

April 03, 2023

Sandra Green, originally from Nicaragua, came to the United States after working as a nurse for over five years. She worked hard to obtain her California nursing license and has been a vital member of the healthcare community for over 30 years, working in the long-term care industry. In her role as Director of Services for Residents in Residential Centers for the elderly and as a Staff Educator in said facilities, Sandra provided care for the residents and also provided staff training.

It was in this role that Sandra first came in contact with the Alzheimer's Association, and in 2015, a friend who worked for the Association encouraged her to apply for a job opening. Sandra was familiar with the programs offered by the Association and had also participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. She applied and was excited to be selected for the position of Family Care Specialist.

As a bilingual Family Care Specialist, Sandra provides tips to caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's or other dementias on how to manage the stresses of caregiving and encourages them to learn more about the disease. She provides care consultations to individuals and families, such as those just beginning to care for a family member. Most of the community presentations Sandra gives are in Spanish, and she regularly communicates with the Spanish-speaking media to ensure that Alzheimer's Association services are available to all in the diverse region.

In her role, Sandra has noticed that some in the Latino community have a lack of awareness about Alzheimer’s and that some families may believe it is just normal aging. She continually works to educate families and let them know about available support, stressing the importance of starting to work with families as soon as someone receives a diagnosis.

Sandra finds joy in helping people, especially caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s. She has learned more about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia while working for the Alzheimer’s Association and has increased her understanding of how dementia affects persons living with the disease and caregivers alike. She reinforces that caregivers can learn and practice techniques to make things easier on the persons with the disease and the caregiver, and that someone with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can still have a good quality of life.